Topic: smart-city-solutions


17 MIN. READ

Smart City Leader Interview: Jamie Cudden, Smart Dublin

By Joe Appleton on May 7, 2021 9:30:00 AM

Jamie Cudden is the leader of Dublin City Council’s Smart City program. The Smart City program focuses on embracing new technologies to solve the many challenges that the city faces to make Dublin a more liveable city for all of its residents. Using pioneering ideas, involving 5G, Internet of Things, and Big Data, Dublin’s Smart City program has been able to develop and deploy a wide range of solutions for challenges such as citizen engagement, sustainable mobility, energy management, and more.

Since Dublin is a prime example of a smart city in action (read our Smart Dublin City Portrait for more information), we decided to get in touch with Jamie and find out how he helped to steer Dublin into a smarter future.

Topics:

Smart City Solutions Smart City Technology Smart City Internet of Things (IoT) Sustainability Smart People Big Data

11 MIN. READ

Citizen’s Perspectives on Data Privacy in Smart Cities

By Joe Appleton on Nov 2, 2020 10:09:00 AM

As smart cities get smarter, citizens have begun to express concerns about the use of their data, and whether their privacy is being sacrificed for the benefit of big data.

Ever since the concept of a smart city first emerged, it has been clear that technological innovation, intelligent systems, and big data would be three key ingredients to a city’s success. While there’s no clear-cut definition of what a smart city is or has to include (see also our article Redefining the Smart City Concept: A New Smart City Definition), it has been universally acknowledged that the purpose of a smart city is to improve the lives of its residents.

Topics:

Smart City Solutions Smart City Internet of Things (IoT) Smart People Smart Security

9 MIN. READ

The Importance of Cyber Security & Data Protection for Smart Cities

By Joe Appleton on Oct 22, 2020 3:03:09 PM

In 2012, Austrian author Marc Elsberg released his best-selling novel Blackout: Tomorrow Will Be Too Late. It’s a disaster thriller that focuses on cyber-terrorism. A group of disenfranchised hackers manipulates a network of European power stations, destabilizing the grid, and plunging Europe into chaos.

The loss of power is a catalyst that leads to a domino effect of disasters, from food shortages and the devaluation of money to nuclear catastrophes and societal collapse. Elsberg was praised for his meticulous research and realism. Of course, Blackout takes the dangers of a cyber-attack to the extreme, but it’s all within the bounds of possibility.

Though the events that take place in Blackout are a work of fiction, as more cities embrace inter-connectivity and smart technology, the threat of serious cyber-attacks on digital infrastructure is very real. In 2015, a cyber-attack compromised Ukraine’s power grid, compromising corporate date, denying the distribution of energy, disabling IT infrastructure, and destroying countless data files.

As cities get smarter, it begs the question: if a power station can be hacked, what else can be?

Topics:

Smart City Solutions Smart City Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Security

8 MIN. READ

Rethinking Urban Mobility for the Post-Covid City

By Joe Appleton on Jun 15, 2020 12:27:36 PM

There’s a positive aspect of this horror,”  the deputy mayor of Paris, Jean-Louis Missika, told the Washington Post. “Never has the city been less polluted. Parisians have much appreciated it, and I think there will be strong changes in the behaviour of people, in terms of movement.” This is a sentiment shared by many leaders across the globe.

Despite the hardships caused by the spread of Covid-19, the current situation presents a unique opportunity. Now is an ideal time to revolutionize the way we live in urban environments.

It’s a quiet revolution that has already begun.

Topics:

Smart City Solutions Smart Mobility Smart City Urban Mobility e-Scooter

9 MIN. READ

Rising Stars: Eight Smart Cities in Asia to Watch in 2019 - Part 2

By Lily Maxwell on Jul 16, 2019 9:10:55 PM

As we saw in our last article on Asian smart city stars, urban centers in Asia are facing mass urbanization on a much more significant scale than many other parts of the world. They are also often located in climate-vulnerable regions. For example, a World Bank research report assessing the possible consequences of continued sea-level rise on eighty-four developing countries found that the impact of sea-level rise will be particularly severe for the Asia-Pacific region. For this reason, becoming ‘smarter’ and more sustainable is a top priority for many of Asia’s cities. In this article, we will look at four more Asian metropolises that are pushing forward smart initiatives in order to tackle current and prepare for future challenges. If you have not read the first part of the Rising Asian Stars article, you can read it here Rising Asian Stars: Smart Cities to Watch in 2019 - Part 1.

Topics:

Smart City Solutions Smart Government Smart Mobility Smart Lighting Smart City Innovation Smart Education Smart City Projects

11 MIN. READ

Rising Asian Stars: Smart Cities in Asia to Watch in 2019 - Part 1

By Lily Maxwell on Jun 19, 2019 2:02:08 PM

There were an estimated 47 megacities in existence in 2017, and the majority were located in Asia. The region is facing urbanization on a scale far beyond that of other regions, with an estimated 1.1 billion moving into Asian cities in the next 20 years. Many Asian countries are also in areas that are prone to extreme weather patterns or natural disasters, and this is only becoming more of a problem with climate change. Cities across the continent urgently need to prepare for serious population growth, and the strain it will place on their public services, and the risks that environmental changes pose. For this reason, becoming more resilient and ‘smarter’ is inevitably at the top of most Asian cities’ political agendas. In this article we are going to explore some of the Asian cities investing in becoming smarter and more sustainable in order to make their citizens safer and happier.

Topics:

Smart City Strategy Smart City Solutions Smart Living Smart Government Smart Mobility Smart City Internet of Things (IoT) Climate Change Smart City Projects

10 MIN. READ

Smart Cities and the Promise of Innovation in Public Services

By Jon Glasco on Apr 10, 2019 10:47:47 PM

There was a time when bells in town squares warned citizens of impending danger. Today, the bells ring again in the form of studies and media reports with warnings about urban problems that plague modern cities and resist solutions. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of people move to cities in pursuit of a higher quality of life. This is the story of cities: Citizens with big expectations versus the endurance of big city problems. It is a still-unfolding story with numerous villains: social inequality, traffic congestion, pollution, crime, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, aging infrastructure, public service shortfalls.

Topics:

Smart City Strategy Smart City Solutions Smart Government Smart City Urban Innovation Future Cities Digital Transformation Digital City Smarte Verwaltung Smart City Projects

10 MIN. READ

Smart Sustainable Cities in Spain: The Commitment to a Green Economy

By Jon Glasco on Mar 14, 2019 2:34:15 AM

In recent years, an increasing number of Spanish cities recognize the need for bold steps to confront an emerging urban crisis. A crisis with multiple dimensions including damage to quality of life caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, threats of climate change, and an urgency to develop policies that support green city innovation.

Global Perspective: Good Intentions, Complex Barriers

Since the concept of a green economy was forged in the 1990s, the ideas and strategies for green cities have evolved into a variety of urban development policies, smart city solutions and sustainability measures to protect the environment, enable economic development and ensure high quality of life.

Topics:

Smart City Solutions Smart Environment Smart Mobility Sustainability Climate Change Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

5 MIN. READ

Will Smart City Technology Prevent Crime Before It Happens?

By Mike Barlow and Cornelia Levy-Bencheton on Jan 29, 2019 11:21:12 PM

Law enforcement has been using technology to solve crimes for more than a century. Using technology to prevent crimes, however, is a relatively new idea. The movie Minority Report famously depicts a futuristic society in which police officers arrest people before they commit crimes. It’s a deeply disturbing movie with a not-too-subtle message about the danger of relying too heavily on technology.

Nevertheless, a small industry has emerged around the practice of predictive policing. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans and other cities have experimented with predictive policing programs. The experiments have been inconclusive and controversial. 

Topics:

Smart City Solutions Smart Living Smart City Technology Smart City Smart Cities Digital City Smart City Projects

5 MIN. READ

10 Ways to Envision a Smart City

By Mike Barlow and Cornelia Levy-Bencheton on Nov 23, 2018 3:55:12 PM

What is a smart city and how is it different from our traditional notion of a city? There is no single definition for a smart city. The term itself is a moving target and every city is different.

That said, here are 10 ideas that can help us envision and define the smart city concept:

Topics:

Smart City Strategy Smart City Solutions Smart City Technology Smart Collaboration Smart City Urban Planning

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